Covet (Crave)

Behind me, Macy is sobbing full-out, and Hudson looks like he’s ready to rip his father limb from fucking limb—a plan I am more than on board with.

I close my eyes, take a deep breath, and prepare to kill the first boy I ever loved.

Before he turns away, he squeezes the mating bond right back and finally opens himself up to me. And oh, what I see—as he reveals what’s really inside him—I learn what I’ve been missing. Learn that my fears have been groundless.

Because for me, Hudson’s love is endless.

After all, you can only die once (unless you’re Hudson) and how it happens doesn’t really matter.

“Vampires heal fast.”

“That fast?” Calder asks.

“I have no idea.”

Remy stands up again. “Let’s see if we can’t get the dragon and Golden Gloves over here on their feet enough to head back to the blacksmith.”

“Can you walk, baby?” I ask Hudson.

“For you?” He sighs. “Anything.” And then nearly falls backward as he stands up.

Well, who doesn’t love being compared to an electrical cord?

“Big trouble,” Lester tells me as he grabs my hand with his free one and brings it to his lips. But then he sniffs me for one long breath, and his eyes go big. “You didn’t tell me who she was,” he reprimands Remy.

Remy doesn’t answer, just kind of smiles a little even as I wonder if it’s so obvious that I’m a gargoyle.

Lester must figure out that Remy’s not going to answer, because eventually he turns back to me and says, “There is only one path for you, my queen.”

“My mistake,” I say with a laugh as I duck out from under Hudson’s arm. “By all means, hustle away.”

“I intend to,” she says with a waggle of her brows. Just before she slaps Hudson right on the ass. “Move it or lose it, partner.”

And then she dives down the steps.

“Did she…” Hudson looks at me with bemused eyes.

“She did,” I tell him. “I think it was a teammate thing. You know, like how football players smack each other on the ass right before they go into battle.”

“I know. But I think that’s the first time anyone has smacked my bum since I was…” He pauses to think about it, then shakes his head. “No, that’s the first time anyone has ever smacked my bum.”

But Flint pulls away, wraps his arms even more tightly around himself, and stares anywhere and everywhere but at me. When our gazes do glance off each other’s by sheer luck, I can’t help but notice that the bags under his eyes could take up half the cargo area on a 747.

Eventually the red lights click back to normal.

The dots on the wall reset themselves to green.

And Hudson’s lashes finally flutter open.

I’ve never been more relieved to see someone wake up in my life. At least until he looks at me and whispers, “I don’t deserve to ever leave.”

Next to me, Calder is laughing like she’s on a ride at Disneyland. My stomach didn’t get that memo, though, and it twists and churns as the chicken from earlier threatens to make a very unpleasant reappearance.

Just when I’m sure I’m going to turn this into a real-life version of the Vomitron, we grind to a stop.